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Polly's People: A 'Link' to the man who brought Big Boy to town

A couple of weeks ago, when I wrote about the Shoney's Big Boy statue showing up in the window of an eastside Savannah business, I never thought I'd end up finding the restaurateur who brought the eating establishment - and the chubby statue - to town in the early 1960s.

But small world that it is, I tracked down "Link" Linkenhokerwho in 1964, with a business partner, opened Shoney's on Victory Drive. Link is 87 and still going strong, managing a few business ventures, and traveling with Sally, his wife of 66 years.

"I can tell you a big story," Link said enthusiastically when I mentioned Big Boy. Originally from Indiana, Link joined the Navy after high school and was living in Brunswick when he retired from the service.

"I met a boy named Bill Portman at the Greyhound Bus station," he recalled. "He ran the cafeteria at the bus station."

Link and Bill became friends, bought the Shoney's franchise, and eventually opened 13 restaurants in 11 years in south Georgia and South Carolina. Link and his family moved to Savannah to open the Victory Drive Shoney's, a restaurant complete with curb service. He and his wife, whom he met in high school, worked "24 hours" a day, it seemed, he said. When asked if anyone ever bothered the Big Boy statue, Link said his wife "kept that pretty well under control."

If teenagers tried any funny business while they were parked at the curb, Sally would quickly set them straight, Link said. She'd tell them, '"If you're polite, we'll take your order'" and that was that.

Evidently most of the mischievous teens who cruised Victory Drive revered Big Boy - and respected their elders - and would rather order a double-decker hamburger with special sauce or a slice of strawberry pie than leave in disgrace.

Changing times

My, how times have changed.

In those early days, a Big Boy sandwich was just 50 cents, Link said, adding that he wished he had kept all the menus. "I do have all the recipes, though," he added.

In 1972, the Shoney's company asked Link and Bill if they wanted to sell the two Shoney's restaurants in Savannah back to the organization. They did.

Link went into property development after he sold Shoney's. "I try to stay busy," he said.

He and his wife love to travel in their Airstream motor home and have visited every state in the Union. Link also enjoys fishing and used to go to Michigan every fall to fish for salmon.

Link and Bill remain friends. "We had a good partnership that worked,'' Link said.

In a bit of Shoney's trivia, Link said the smallest restaurant owned was in Brunswick and "that store made more money per square foot" than any one of them, he added.

Link never saw the Big Boy statues after the restaurants were sold. But now he's eager to ride by Auto Motion on Rowland Avenue to check out his old friend - of sorts - the newly painted Big Boy that once greeted customers on Victory Drive.